Udupi farmer loses ₹1.74 lakh in PM Kisan app scam

Udupi: A 49-year-old farmer from Yerlapadi village in Karkala taluk lost ₹1.74 lakh after downloading a fake mobile application that falsely claimed to be linked to the central government’s PM Kisan scheme.

The victim, G. Rajesh Acharya, told the Karkala Town Police that he received a message with a link to download an APK file. The message said the app was part of the PM Kisan initiative, which provides financial aid to farmers.

Believing it to be genuine, Acharya installed the app on his phone. Soon after, two small amounts—₹1.30 and ₹1.03—were deducted from his account. These small transactions are often used by scammers to test access before carrying out larger frauds.

On October 31, three major unauthorised transactions of ₹24,990, ₹50,000, and ₹25,000 were made from his account, totalling ₹99,992. Two days later, on November 2, another ₹75,000 was withdrawn from a second account. The total loss amounted to ₹1,74,992.

Police said the fraudster likely gained access to Acharya’s banking details and phone data through the malicious app, which allowed remote control of his device.

A case has been registered under Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with cheating by impersonation using computer resources. The police have started an investigation to trace those behind the scam.

Officials have warned the public not to download unauthorised APK files or click on links from unknown numbers. They also advised people to verify government scheme links through official websites only.

A senior police officer said, “Fraudsters often misuse the names of trusted government schemes to trick people. We urge everyone to check details from official sources and avoid sharing personal or banking information online.”

Cyber experts have also advised citizens to download apps only from Google Play Store or Apple App Store, keep phones updated with security patches, and enable two-factor authentication for banking.

With cyber frauds increasing across coastal Karnataka, police have stepped up awareness campaigns, urging rural residents to stay alert and report any suspicious activity immediately.